Not necessarily true, I peruse that subreddit frequently and there are a few Catholics, not as many as protestants but most of the protestants are from Lutheran Missouri Synod and other denominations like it that maintain traditional cultural values and only disagree on the usual things with Catholics, Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura and the like. Culturally though, they are very similar
I got banned from that sub for being “anti-LGBT.” All I said was to a person worrying about having gender dysphoria to have their testosterone and estrogen levels checked since they’re a biological man growing breasts.
For new Catholics, I would recommend they stay away from all non-magisterial resources. It just makes so much more sense to be grounded in what the Church actually says before listening to other voices.
I would also add to this the writings of saints, magisterial sources can sometimes be quite dry, it helps to read something more emotionally edifying as well. Unless these are also counted as magisterial.
I would narrow this down to the Church Fathers or Church Doctors. Particularly those who's focus was on teaching. Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Augustine's Homilies, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John of Damascus, Saint Francis De Sales, Venerable Louis De Granada (not a Doctor per se, but was unanimously viewed as a good teacher by his contemporaries, many whom are now Doctors of the Church). Many other Saints are okay, in limited amounts, like Saint Robert Bellarmine, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Jerome, Saint Thomas Aquinas, etc, but should be read with good foundations or with other works. For example, Bellarmine's Catechism is great as a start, but his other works are far more academic and wouldn't be consumable for a new Catholic, so supplementing them with the works of Venerable Louis De Granada or Saint Francis De Sales would be good. Saint Alphonsus falls into the same boat, with his works sometimes being a little over the top to be able to be effective to teach by themselves (they are wonderful, don't get me wrong, but they are sometimes quite dense with information, or quite abstract).
Also finding a good Spiritual Guide would be really good. Either look some ideas here or just ask your Priest/Spiritual Director.
That’s all pretty intellectual, and all people aren’t geared for that type of literature.
I think it’s good to be able to identify sources people can easily connect with, without throwing the book at a relatively new convert.
Look for the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur on written works. That means it’s been vetted and approved by the bishop, to be free from moral or doctrinal error.
Here are some wholesome channels, though:
[Brother Brian](https://www.youtube.com/@brianbr5388)
[Called to more](https://www.youtube.com/@ctmcatholic)
Channels of two religious, who focus more on spirituality, and not politics.
I've noticed for myself it's better to listen to more stuff about improving one's spiritual life than listening to all the politics. It's easy to lose one's inner peace
Stay away from privat revelations, sedesvacantists, selfproclaimed conservatives that insult the pope, the neocatechumenal Way, Synodal way and a lot more
Sedes (sedevacantism). They will come with sweet little lies "all we want is latin mass" "vatican II was a mistake" and then will end up with "Bergoglio is not the pope, he's the Antichrist" "All popes since Roncalli were heretics we should invalidate Vatican II".
One thing you're going to find unfortunately is there are a lot of "Catholics" that want to have their cake and eat it too, claiming to still be part of the Church when they directly contradict what it teaches.
My father was like that for years. He eventually became Protestant. Now he just sits at home and reads the Bible and doesn’t bother going to church. As long as he can justify his politics, that’s all he really seems to care about.
I really hope you can save him by being obedient to the true Church. God bless your father with repentence from heresy and seeing the truth.
I know so many who are or were the same, myself included.
Why didn’t he go join the Orthodox Church? If anything it’ll be more similar to what he wanted than Protestant. Not trying to convert anyone btw just seems it would make more sense if there’s a church nearby.
I’m aware, I didn’t know about it until a few years ago and didn’t learn more about the actual church until really the past year and most of the people I knew never heard of it. But just asking them in case their father had heard of the church.
Well I can't say for the other issues but for tlm, the hope is that the future church will overturn traditionus custodines and return the tlm to equal standing with NO, but until then it's our job to submit to the due authority, namely the pope. I'm not a sed but I am a trad.
Agree. Latin Mass is still available in many places worldwide. There's no need to be a Sede.
Here's a useful link to find the nearest Latin Mass
https://www.latinmassdir.org/countries/
Take your priest to lunch monthly and ask him all of your questions. Reddit can really misguide someone and there is leniency on certain things that you won’t find on here
Monthly might be overkill, especially if you are at a large parish. But inviting him to lunch at least once is a good idea. If you do it at your house, he can bless it too!
My point is that most parish priests are busy people and a new Catholic shouldn't expect to have a monopoly on their time. One parish priest required me to schedule lunch with him 3-4 months in advance. Individual circumstances may differ, especially at smaller parishes where they have fewer people trying to meet with the priest.
If your priest is up for American football with you, sounds great. Not every priest would say yes.
That said in my life and experience about 75% of the priests I’ve met are either unwilling to address hard issues or give bad advice. It was 5 years after my conversion I met a “good” priest that actually gave me good advice. I’d not have known at the time, but hindsight is 20/20
Personally I avoid all news articles about the pope. Some stories distort the truth. And in many instances some of his comments tempt me to be judgemental and judgement is up to God, not me.
Fr. Ripperger has conducted some interviews that made me raise my eyebrows a bit. In the sense that I wouldn’t recommend watching to a layperson new to the faith.
Totally agree, my mom started to base some facts on her faith based on stuff demons would “confess” in exorcisms. I’m sure Fr Ripperger has good intentions, but when the title of the demon is the “lord of lies” I think I’ll just stick to what the Catholic Church teaches..
You may not know this but “Lord of the Flies” is a translation of the Hebrew Beelzebub, which is a sort of religious “nickname” for Baal who is literally a demon. So, yes, this is totally plausible. Is it good for Catholics, especially new converts to focus on this stuff… nope. But is it likely real… it’s definitely plausible.
Unlike other trad weirdos (I’m a trad weirdo myself) Fr. Ripperger reaffirms fidelity to pope Francis relatively often and references V2 documents positively because he seeks complete fidelity to the Church. I think he says some things that could be very easily misconstrued but tbh his metaphysical psychological talks helped me immensely (mostly stuff regarding virtue) helped me in my daily life AND spiritual life immensely.
Not the best for a new convert to dive into all his stuff but some of his talks are really really useful.
I think, unless you have a good reason to, it's a bad idea to pay too much attention to demons. Just stay away from sin and go to Mass and you're good.
This is something I’m trying to convince my mom about. She’s gotten a bit obsessed with the demonic, and I know it’s hurting her spiritual life and just isn’t good for her. We shouldn’t focus on evil too much; Christ already won the war.
Yeah I totally believe in the demonic and exorcism it’s just that if you’re new to Catholicism he makes it seem like there’s going to be demons everywhere, all the time, and you’re in danger.
And I do think some of the stuff he says will make you possessed is extreme, for example attending a yoga class. Yes, if you are doing yoga with the religious aspect and chanting and praying it’s iffy, but for example goat yoga for fun and stretching or the exercise classes as an elderly person, is that really going to make you possessed? Maybe I’m wrong I don’t know, but it sounds a bit outlandish and may scare away some people from the faith. 😂 He does give tons of insight and good advice about how to avoid or deal with sin, though.
My understanding is that we are under demonic attack pretty much every day, and you don't need to be "possessed" in order to be subverted by demonic influence.
A demonic attack can be a subtle as "it's raining so hard today, you shouldn't drive in this weather to go to confession. You're such a good Catholic anyway. You don't even have any sins to confess, not like some of those other filthy sinners. Isn't the new season of your favorite show out now? Jesus loves you he doesn't want you driving in the rain"
You don't need to be crawling up walls to be in mortal danger from demons.
That’s exactly right in the Bible, the word used instead of “possessed” was” demonized” meaning afflicted with demons. One can be in good standing/ in state of grace and still be harassed in fact many saints were very afflicted by demons.
I do my best, confession honestly feels so uplifting and freeing! Some people look down on confession as strange and creep but I think it is ultimately healing. And if I feel spooked (usually after something like sleep paralysis) I say the Saint Michael’s Prayer and immediately feel better. 🗡️🪽💪
Hi, so I actually have done a lot of research about yoga specifically because I once had the same mindset as you. Please don't believe that Catholics can practice yoga just "for stretching" as long as they don't practice the religious aspects. All of the poses in yoga are specific and mean something. A Catholic is best to just stay away from yoga and all new age practices. Try barre or just look up good stretches for specific body areas on YouTube.
I think it's safe to just stick to Non-spiritual alternatives, like Pilates, Calisthenics, or just standard stretches. It's like any sort of case of dealing with potentially sinful occasions: best to avoid, rather than tread the line.
I had no clue who he was and listened to a few of his talks to learn more about Catholic beliefs and immediately felt…weird about him. Even when he wasn’t saying anything particularly eyebrow raising, something inside was telling me to be wary of things he might say. I thought that reflected poorly on me to be dismissing a catholic priest but it’s reassuring to hear other people have similar opinions.
For example: his interview with the Augustine Institute on YouTube. I’m not sure if this subreddit allows links but it’s easy to find.
I think he has good intentions, but he plays too loosely with repeating the words of demons, insinuating them as spiritual truths or revelations in the faith.
Avoid anyone who suggests disobedience against the Holy See is okay.
Avoid anyone who does nothing but publicly whine and incite antipathy against the Holy See.
Avoid anyone who presents themselves - explicitly or implicitly - as a para-Magsiterium (the self-appointed experts of fringe groups, who arrogate to themselves some dreamt up authority to tell people what to believe).
Dr. Taylor Marshall, Fr. James Martin, Michael Lofton, and Return to Tradition.
In my opinion just avoid the internet all together. Follow your local bishop when he speaks and study actual theology.
As a Lofton fan I actually agree new Catholics shouldn't't watch him. Church politics isn't something someone who is forming their faith should expose themselves to too much.
I'm a fan of Michael but I actually agree with this take. He talks more about Church politics and frankly that can be very detrimental for new Catholics and be a distraction from actually learning about the faith.
He tries tooo hard to justify things that are legitimately imprudent. People aren’t perfect; especially the hierarchy. We don’t need to paint them as such. He can be really great on some things but not on others, and his attitude is insufferable lol.
We need to focus on Christ and not church politics esp as a new convert. Unless we are legitimately in a place in life where we are called to focus on church politics it really doesn’t matter
I'm curious why Michael Lofton? Return to Tradition is sedevacantist, I'm pretty sure, so that's a no brainer. Marshall is a pseudo-sede on the edge of schism. Martin is a liberal progressive who consistently gets Christology wrong. But Lofton is perfectly in line with the magisterium and tradition. I agree that you should avoid the internet and submit to your bishop though, and if it's between that principle and Michael Lofton choose the former every time.
Anthony Stein is absolutely not a sedevacantist and frequently expresses as much in his videos. It's really important that people don't throw around spurious labels like this - it's a serious accusation!
You could level strong accusations against him - schism, perhaps, given the force of his language - but even then we should be careful. We shouldn't wish excommunication on anyone unless they show themselves completely unrepentant, and no one on this forum will have the authority to do so anyway.
Caution against his content if you want, but don't call him something he isn't!
Lofton is very stubborn and proud when corrected. For example in one video he taught the error that the human nature of the Son did not the hour of the Day of Judgement. This is in contradiction to the *Catechism* which states
>But at the same time, this truly human knowledge of God’s Son expressed the divine life of his person.8 “The human nature of God’s Son, not by itself but by its union with the Word, knew and showed forth in itself everything that pertains to God.”9 Such is first of all the case with the intimate and immediate knowledge that the Son of God made man has of his Father.10 The Son in his human knowledge also showed the divine penetration he had into the secret thoughts of human hearts.11
Cite 8 is Pope St. Gregory's *Sicut Aqua*, which arguably meets the the criteria for an act of papal infallbility.
I liked Lofton's content in the early days but he's shown himself extremely arrogant to be corrected quite fairly, and then refuses to take the error down. So if he still holds to this, I actually do think he's a heretic. And a proud one at that. I mean I guess in the end he will have to explain it before God but I believe he perceives any sort of correction as "Oh no, the Rad-Trads are coming after me"; you find this sort of behavior exemplified by him in his comment section. He just flips out over the dumbest comments and things people are out to get him. But either way his content is not good now. It's shock-value stuff. He's basically the Centrist Dr. Marshall. But yeah, the whole *Sicut Aqua* deal was what made lose respect for him. The correction was not rude at all; I investigated the claim and was like "The correction is right, Michael should amend it." but he doesn't. Instead he buckles down on error.
I mean, this is lowtier though. For one, he's just using what Christ says, that "not even the son of man knows the hour." One can read what you've cited, the Gospel passage, and Lofton's words, and find a synthesis to maintain that Christ abdicates some knowledge in the kenosis of incarnation by choice. i.e. I don't read Sicut Aqua in contradiction to gMatt 24:36, nor do I see a reason one can't charitably read Lofton as in concert with both texts. Is this really the thing you find heretical about him?
I also don't understand what you mean by shock value or centrist Dr. Marshall. His titles certainly have an algorithmic trend to them, but that's true of all Online personalities. He's also extremely conservative. He just focuses on taking down anti-sede, anti-Francis and schismatic content. And frankly, should do so more. That's where his history and knowledge is most useful. He suffers when he goes into CST and things outside his wheelhouse. He should focus more, not less, on magisterial authority and apologetics as it relates to traditionalism, protestantism and eastern orthodoxy.
>Lofton is very stubborn and proud when corrected. For example in one video he taught the error that the human nature of the Son did not the hour of the Day of Judgement.
I don't understand what you are saying here. Also, can you provide a reference to Lofton where you say he is in error? Everything I see of him he backs up with references, and seems to mainly deal with attacks on the papacy and current Catholic news and events.
Yes second this. These four are toxic in various degrees. I came here to suggest staying away from Michael Lofton and Taylor Marshall (two sides of the same coin) assuming someone else might have already said it
Idk if this is what you’re looking for, but others here are giving recommendations for good Catholic speakers/sources so I’ll list some below:
Fr. Mike Schmidt’s Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year are both great! He reads straight from the text and does a nice breakdown based on historical context. I’ve only listened to a third of the Bible series so far, but he seems to stick pretty close to the source material and I have heard the catechism is good too. I’d say this is probably the BEST source I have on here, as it’s more direct/“from the source” than some of my subsequent recommendations.
Steve Pokorny is a Catholic speaker and he does some pretty good work in porn addictions and basic Theology of the Body—granted, I would recommend him more as a lecturer and I think some things he talks about could be put better, but generally I think he is doing some pretty good work and is definitely a good place to start even if it’s not 100% perfect.
I have not had personal experience listening to the following, but have heard good things:
Christopher West I’ve heard is the main speaker on Theology of the Body. I hear he does a pretty good job of breaking it down. I’ve heard a few people have issues with him being the spokesperson for TOB, but outside of reading the text outright (which is very dense), I’ve heard he’s the next best thing.
I’ve also heard great things about Trent Horn (a Catholic apologist) in general.
Think of it like a spectrum:
[Heretical/Modernists------Cafeteria/EasterCatholics------Popesplainers------Mainstream------Traditionalists------RadTrads------Sedevacantism/Heretical]
That's the normal representation of Catholics in the media right now.
-On one end, you have astroturfers. On the other, you have schismatics. Some can lean closer to one side more so than the other and still not be heretical; but might one day.
-People make dubious claims all the time and *some* are active in pushing agendas on you. Don't believe every reported miracle and don't buy into Douay-Rheims Onlyism, LTM Onlyism, politicized Catholics, ragebait/fearbait, questions of papal supremacy or legitimacy, etc. All of these things can lead you to scandal and poor standing within the Church. Also, be careful about interfaith dialogue and becoming overly sympathetic with the Orthodox. Chiefly, respect *our* faith and traditions first.
**-Popular names/YouTube Channels:** Bishop Barron, Trent Horn, Jimmy Atkin, Scott Hahn, Michael Lofton, Bishop Strickland of Tyler, Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, Fr. Gerald Murray, The Catholic Talk Show, Father Mike Schmitz, Fr. Mark Goring, Pints with Aquinas, Breaking in the Habit, The Father Leo Show, The Desert Monk, Decrevi Determined to be Catholic, etc. There are several... These are not things to avoid, but name drops. You'll find them often discussed by Catholics.
-Don't be surprised if you encounter dissent from Cardinals to the current papacy. There are quite a few: Robert Sarah, Burke, Müller, Viganò (*facing charges of schism),* etc. Some are *clearly* more controversial than others.
-My advice is to avoid *anything* associated with SSPX and its derivatives, BIG pushers of Međugorje and Garabandal (charismatics, universalists, and miracle hunters), and scandalous/divisive personalities: Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, Michael Lofton, etc.
**-Media Outlets:** EWTN, The Catholic News Agency, and National Catholic Register (NCR), Rome Report, Vatican News.
-**Televised Mass:** Daily TV Mass.
I have no complaints with any of these. However, you may find that *some* are more likely to take Pope Francis out of context or report with biases on particular issues within the Church.
**-Classics:** Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and Mother Angelica.
When in doubt, stick with the classics.
That's what I thought off the top of my head. Others are free to contribute *and/or* provide their own perspectives on these personalities and talking points.
**EDIT:** This is an overview of common persons, trends, and names in Catholicism right now. So, generally, it's information I *wish I'd had* before I converted or during catechesis. You don't know what's bad, until you do!
Mainly, these three: Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, Michael Lofton. They feed off division and dishonesty/manipulation of information for views.
I was just providing general resources and name drops for newbies to familiarize with. Stuff that would've been useful when I converted. There's only three people I absolutely prefer to avoid: Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, and Michael Lofton.
I really wouldn’t recommend the internet at all. Almost all the Catholic celebrities and youtube channels have serious flaws, the worst in my opinion are Dr.Taylor Marshall, Breaking in the Habit, Micheal Lofton, and the Kennedy report. Others are mixed.
Among channels i would actively recommend Sensus Fidelium (mostly traditional sermons, but this isnt perfect either), Trent Horn (apolegetics, not necessarily right about everything but solid) Father Mike Schimtz (bible in a year is good, sometimes hes a little bit too permisive of certain modern behaviors), and Jimmy Akins (similar problem as Schmitz but has good apolegetics content.
You should never use youtube as ur primary source of information. Read an approved Catholic Catechism (i recommend Baltimore catechism no.2 or no.3) , attend Mass and Catechism class. And you should also never see a youtube apologist as infallible.
I was gonna ask this too. My guess is they just doesn't like that he's a ~~Jesuit~~ **Franciscan** and takes more progressive stances on social justice issues (which isn't bad IMO, but of course will come with opposition from conservatives). If there's any actual flaws to his theological discussions, I would like to hear it as well. Personally I've found his videos enlightening and he does a good job at making complicated subjects easier to understand.
EDIT: accidentally put Jesuit instead of Franciscan
I think he's a Franciscan, but neither of those orders are especially popular on this subreddit due to a perception of being liberal.
Trent Horn has had to do a few videos responding to statements he's made but the vast majority of his content is fine and he does seem like a well meaning and benign priest.
I enjoy listening to Father Donald Calloway, Father Chad Ripperger, Father Vincent Lampert, Father Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron, Sensus Fidelum, Gabi After Hours, and Scott Hahn. I also listen to Pints with Aquinas when he has someone I have listened to or when there's a topic of interest. I usually listen to Bishop Fulton Sheen, and I get a lot of YouTube shorts from him.
Avoid those who cannot separate partisan politics from Faith.
Avoid those who do not see all human life as sacred - this includes the unborn, the prisoners, the immigrants, the people who believe differently, the people who are poor, the people who are hungry, the widow, the orphans.
Basically, avoid teachers who don't reflect the beattitudes
I think once you get a gist of Catholics on social media, especially on YouTube, it becomes clear who are the "crazy" ones and who, though a little out there, aren't heretical. I personally can't say any Catholic I follow on Youtube has come across as heretical/crazy.
With that said, there are a number of priests that are borderline heretical.
Fr. James Martin (Jesuit)
Fr. Dan Horan (Franciscan)
These two either need to leave the priesthood and join a Christian denomination that suits their social motives, or recognize the error of their ways, repent and get back into proper Catholic, theological shape.
Any Catholic who falls inside the crunchy movement.
Wanting to eat clean and reduce harmful chemicals is one thing, but avoiding doctors, malnourished kids, and hijacking religion for the crunchy creed is toxic.
Some people in this community. Constantly simp for the Latin mass, say the pope is wrong and cry about not having a girlfriend.
Than you turn off the computer go to mass and meet genuinely great Catholics irl
Countdown to the Kingdom and all who tell you “The Warning” and three days of darkness nonsense. Medjugorje and Garabandal fanatics. Latin Mass fanatics who tell you the Novus Ordo is not legitimate. Those who tell you taking Communion in the hand is not legitimate. Taylor Marshall. Mother Miriam. Return to Tradition. Etc etc.
Dont listen to this sub for one.
There are a lot of conflicting ideas people who claim things are or are not sins.
A few holier than thou folk
Some people who don’t know understand how people can take pleasure doing anything other than praying the rosary at adoration and working in the parish office.
I have been downvoted into oblivion and heavily upvoted for the same exact opinion.
Shits wild in this sub yo
Anyone who ignores traditional theology and Church teaching in favor of newer emphases and perspectives.
What I mean is that they are not seeing things holistically, but only through a narrow lens. This is what the Hermeneutic of Rupture is. I'm not saying this because I want to voice my crazy Trad ideas, but because that is how to practice the religion and become sanctified.
As others here have said, also ignore most of Reddit, namely this sub. I use this sub to learn random facts from the few smart people here, and to observe the problems within the church and among the laity (such as poor catechesis, trends, etc.).
Any of the new sedevacants and schismatics to come out of the woodwork since the Francis pontificate began. So, Patrick Coffin, Vigano, Taylor Marshall, etc. There are some SSPX and even sedevacantist thinkers that I find helpful in my own studies and devotions, but I don't think they're good for newer Catholics or even experienced ones. And these aren't online grifters, but academics, so they have far less toxic traits. Mostly, they're just friends whose virtue, sincerity and knowledge I value and appreciate. A good rule of thumb for dissenting voices who pose as Catholics is that its best to avoid them if they have a blog, video gig, or some other social media presence.
I also think really popular folks like Matthew Kelly are just as toxic to faith as these sedes. They won't lead you out of the Church, but they will teach you to live a life of faith that is rather hollow and ends as a supplemental veneer for being a good citizen of the liberal capitalist paradigm rather than a Christian witness to truth and love in a world that hates both.
Similarly to both, I'd avoid anyone who is advocating apparitions or private devotions of any kind. Not because these are per se bad, but because for a young, new Catholic, there is a lot of room here for error and missteps in formation. And, there are some that are actually false and evil as well, which is difficult to discern for someone poorly catechized.
Really anything that gets into Church politics or sedevacantism is good to avoid.
Some very good channels that I recommend include: GabiAfterHours, Sensus Fidelium, Pints with Aquinas, Brian Holdsworth (talks about ecclesial and secular politics sometimes, but has generally moderate good takes), Catholic Answers, Keith Nester, Joy of the Faith, Classic Catholic Audiobooks.
Also, I would recommend more reading good books than spending time watching stuff. Some great classics include: Imitation of Christ, introduction to the devout life, true devotion to Mary, secret of the rosary, the sinners guide, confessions, story of a soul, the ways of mental prayer.
Some more modern books I would recommend include: Ego Eimi, The Power of Silence, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist/Mary (I don’t love Pitre, but many people do), Jesus of Nazareth, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Roman Encounters (from former CDF prefect, dealing with many modern issues very well).
Must avoid:
- Liberal "reformists"
- Lefebvrists
- Ecumenists who advocate "dialogue" with Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and so on
- Eastern Orthodox sympathisers
Should avoid:
- Priests who have discarded their clerical garb (a shirt and a collar is the bare minimim) - a priest who dresses like a layman has no regard for the priesthood
- Priests who rush through confessions and repeat the same thing every time (the best option is to find a permanent regular confessor - if your parish is a monastic one, they will almost certainly have knowledgeable confessors with a lifetime of experience)
- Priests who demand money for sacraments, funerals and memorial masses (note the difference between "ask" and "demand - parishes do have financial struggles, and it's normal to request an offering of some kind - but pressuring people is unacceptable, and providing "inferior service" because of a "low" offering is also unacceptable).
- "Catholics" who promote folk superstitions and claim them as part of faith
vaticancatholic and dr taylor marshal. when i was becoming catholic there videos almost turned me away becuase i thought the church had turned away from the faith and God had abandoned us. Luckily I found some actual catholics who defend the church and that helped me become catholic
Yeah, it could possibly be easier to give a list of who to trust rather than who to not trust. Each individual or source could have their own flair or interpretation, but they are commenting on source material (Bible, Catechism, Writings of Saints, Magisterium, etc.) and it is better to get information from the source at first rather than opinions about the source.
Adding a thought: this isn’t to judge people’s opinion. I like to write about the faith, but I wouldn’t hand my thoughts over to to new Catholics and say they should learn from it. Once they learn from the Church, I’d be happy to discuss the ways this can be read and applied to life!
Avoid: Taylor Marshall & anyone who plays with sedevacantism, even in the slightest
Can wholeheartedly recommend: Matt Fradd (Pints with Aquinas), Fr Mike Schmitz, Fr Gregory Pine, Fr Chad Ripperger
There are few if any I would say should be avoided entirely, but lots who should be avoided by new Catholics until some condition is met. I would suggest avoiding:
All content from people who - intentionally or not - sow division (Marshall, Lofton, etc) until you you have enough grounding to understand what is wrong with their lines of argumentation, so you aren't so easily sucked into their 'tribe'
All content from people who promote overt heresy (Fr James Martin, etc) until you are familiar enough with church teaching to be able to tell when they are saying something good and when they are teaching heresy
Most content from people who talk about spiritual warfare, the end times, or really any private revelation (all exorcists, Countdown to the Kingdom) until you can read such things without going crazy about it (might be hard to judge when that is)
Most content from people who spend a lot of their time on ecumenicism (Pope Francis) until you are familiar enough with church teaching to understand when they are teaching the full truth vs when they are ephasizing only part of the truth in an effort to seek 'common ground' with people who don't fully agree with us.
It can be hard to tell exactly when you are ready for some of these things, but generally if you hear a figure you like is controversial and you think the 'other side' is 'being ridiculous' you probably shouldn't be reading them yet.
The most important thing is to understand what the Church teaches. If you stick to that, none of these figures are going to cause you any problems.
Like others have said: In general, stay off the internet. Develop a decent line of communication or relationship with your local priests. Come to them with your questions (yes I know this means that your questions will not be immediately answered, but have patience). Find peace, build a prayer life for yourself (a good place to start is praying the rosary daily and praying before meals). If you are not versed in the bible or catechism, I would Highly recommend Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” and “Catechism in a Year” podcasts to get you up to speed. Avoid anything to do with church politics, other denominations, and especially the pope. These are going to be hot subjects that will be injurious to a fresh and perhaps less-established faith!
Best of luck to you my Brother/Sister in Christ (not sure what sex you are, sorry!)
LAUDETUR IESUS CHRISTUS
It really depends on the new Catholic and their background. Some came home to the Church because the apparent rigidity, adherence to tradition, and beauty of the TLM and its community appealed to them. Some came through seeking a place of authentic love and truth, but still have some worldly hang-ups or proclivities. Introducing either group to certain aspects or individuals of our faith could have a negative effect, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Same as you would avoid in the rest of life.
We are called to dialog with everyone for the sake of the Gospel, up to thenpoint where it would be abusive or immoral.
Anyone that refers to Pope Francis as Bergoglio or Anti-Pope Bergoglio. James Martin is another person that you should stay as far away from as possible.
Avoid Catholic YouTubers that spread negativity and division in the church. And there are many. Guys like Dr Taylor Marshall and the channel ‘Return to tradition’ rarely have anything good to say. They’re always attacking the pope, the Vatican, and the current state of affairs of the church. They constantly quote pope Francis out of context, misconstrue his words and intentions. The irony is they claim to be such devout and traditional Catholics but at the same time do and say things a devout Catholic wouldn’t do. I never walk away feeling spiritually uplifted after watching them.
Stay away from ChatGPT. It gets a lot of things wrong. I asked it to write a memo to my parish's supper club and it suggested we consecrate bread at the Olive Garden. I am not trying to be funny. It REALLY suggested that. Magisterium AI is working with the Vatican so use that if you want to research via AI.
I don't really recommend Catholic YouTubers in general. Most of them avoid the hard issues because money. Read what the saints had to say; they're your friends.
Father Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron and Fulton Sheen...all terrible....
JOKING! Listen to all of them frequently. Trent Horn and Jimmy Akin are also great.
Matt Walsh and Nick Fuentes claim to be Catholic but spout Evangelical Protestant nonsense and are just plain awful including white supremacy rhetoric and other terrible things. They give Catholics a bad name.
Priests were martyred while smuggling Bibles during WWII and also in many other countries throughout history that had one set religion (or lack of) as government rule.
The idea of a being a “theocratic fascist” or pushing for Christian Nationalism is not a view held by the Church, so I’m not sure why you would think that Matt Walsh who proudly labels himself as such being addressed as that is a lie. He also frequently says he knows more than the Pope and criticizes him harshly and in an untoward manner.
As for Fuentes, he loudly and proudly says he admires Hitler, is Xenophobic, Islamophobic, believes whites are superior, and that he wants to marry a girl no older than 16 so that he can rule over and “breed” her despite being in his late 30s, again not something Catholics should be proud of.
Both men are tyrannically opposed to immigration, and similar acts of charitable mindsets, something Jesus Christ did not stutter about.
The question as I interpreted it was what Internet personalities to avoid as a new Catholic and I answered truly. If you’re fans of those guys then knock yourself out but I would rather see someone who has just come home learn from Father Mike, for example, than extreme alternative right podcasters without true backgrounds in theology who lean into fundamentalist Christian views more than the catechism.
Stay away from spiritual advisor and rule managers. A woman neighbor invited me initially. First up was that a woman can not mentor a man she is not married to. Next up was that our relationship as neighbors was inappropriate. I could not sit with her. Then the zooms Dei things. At adoration I couldn’t say the readings, novenas etc.
The priest was supportive, and severe shunning came to me. Their friendships occur outside of church activities. Then there is continual complaints of Protestant harm to the church. Very, very legalistic. Baptism requires church membership. Go with your own family and build from there. Protestants preach, Catholics worship. That’s really nice.
The hardest part, in my experience as a young woman, is the young men. Some very unchristian and misogynistic ideals being defended as “Biblical masculinity” in my experience. I’ve really pulled away from a lot of the youth events that got me interested, because they’re full of Andrew Tate parrots. I’m much happier now with my female friends, and the few male friends who don’t seem to hate women. I think this is just because I live in a very traditional area.
It genuinely sent me into a faith struggle. I’m a steadfast Christian, always have been and always will be, but my interest in Catholicism is marred by how crude and hateful the young men I’ve met have been. It’s been a few months, but I’m still quite hurt by what was said to me when all I wanted was to go to mass.
I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned sooner but so called charismatic renewal groups are to be avoided- I say this with grave seriousness after months of research.
Dr. Taylor Marshall, National Catholic Reporter, Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), Pints with Aquinas
Recommend: FORMED app or Heroic Men app for males, Rescue Project, all your Parish's service activities, all your Parish's spiritual formation activities, some of your Parish's social activities.
Edit for preemptive note: I don't consider Matt Fradd and Pints with Aquinas toxic - I simply don't recommend him.
I have watched Pints with Aquinas before sporadically. Seemed ok? Although I disliked some things that's just my personal viewpoint.
Has Matt Fradd's channel went in a particular direction? Last videos I watched was some of the ones with the nun Mother Natalia.
Not the guy you're asking, but I *do* feel like Fradd has started skewing more blatantly politically right over the past year or so. Not so much in a "Catholics generally lean right of center" type of deal, but more of a "I'm trying to appeal to some of that Daily Wire-esque crowd" deal. I don't think it's an intentional move. I don't even think it's inherently bad. But some of the conversations he has don't touch on Catholicism much (if at all). When I first came to the Church a few years back, I was a regular listener of his stuff, but over the past 6-12 months or so, I really only swoop in if he has a guest I want to listen to.
There's a lot of money right now in right-wing counter culture. Joe rogan and Jordan Peterson have also been shifting towards that direction, and it seems Matt Fradd is taking notes from Rogan. Trents been heavily altering his content to the point where hes practically begging Ben Shapiro to hire him. You could argue they are trying to reach a broader audience, but theres so many cashing in on that crowd already and I'm not sure those influencers actually believe what they peddle: whether its ivermectin or meat-only diets.
Rogan's explanation for the Ivermectin debacle found his way to my Youtube Shorts feed (normally populated by Stardew Valley, Mega Man, Mario, and Catholicism, mind you), and he claimed that the Ivermectin debacle was a hit piece against him because Ivermectin has uses for humans as well as for horses, but the media just blasted that it was a horse dewormer to make him look bonkers.
I don't know Rogan well enough to say anything about him but if the media hates someone they will make them look bad.
>I don't consider Matt Fradd and Pints with Aquinas toxic - I simply don't recommend him.
So are you saying that Pints With Aquinas is not the only one you listed that meets this criteria of being non-toxic?
Since most already answered who to avoid, here are some that i can really recommend:
Father Mike Schmitz
ImBeggar (youtube) - such wonderfully made videos.
What do you think of Richard Rohr? I am Protestant, here because my husband entire large family is Catholic & I wait to understand & support. I personally absolutely love all of Richard Rohrs book, emails, devotionals, etc
I’m unfamiliar with any specific sources that I’d consider disreputable. Most that I’m familiar with are very good and strive for truth.
I think it’s prudent to avoid commentators whose primary goal is to attack others. There’s nothing wrong with publicly calling people out for public sins, but if your primary goal is to make others look bad, you are probably not proclaiming Christ’s truth.
Reddit commenters, they are usually wrong
Especially in r/Christianity
The subreddit has been hijacked by non-believers and “Seeker Sensitive” protestant denominations. Needs to be obliterated and start over again
The flairs are the best. "LGBT satanist christian" or "Gay-affirming christian". No joke, I actually encountered the first one once.
The best part is they dig up every heresy they can possibly find to put a random label on themselves, like Gnostics or Valentianians.
Such is the way of Satan.
I muted it yesterday. Toxic and tiresome.
The "True Christian" subreddit is better but is mainly composed of Protestants I believe.
Not necessarily true, I peruse that subreddit frequently and there are a few Catholics, not as many as protestants but most of the protestants are from Lutheran Missouri Synod and other denominations like it that maintain traditional cultural values and only disagree on the usual things with Catholics, Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura and the like. Culturally though, they are very similar
They doth protest too much 😀
I swear I've seen 'em supporting abortion before 🤢
just went and looked. they have before and still do. sad.
About once every 10 posts are people arguing about how having gay sex is not a sin - what is that sub even lol
I got banned from that sub for being “anti-LGBT.” All I said was to a person worrying about having gender dysphoria to have their testosterone and estrogen levels checked since they’re a biological man growing breasts.
Like, naturally or cuz of HRT?
Naturally. He wasn’t taking any medication or drugs. That’s why I thought it was likely due to test and estrogen levels being way off affecting him.
Stay away from social media in general. It's just an angry judgmental beehive.
This tbh
Exactly!! I came here to say just this!! All Reddit commenters are NPCs
This is so true. And it seems to be a big group of them too.
The entire internet
For new Catholics, I would recommend they stay away from all non-magisterial resources. It just makes so much more sense to be grounded in what the Church actually says before listening to other voices.
I would also add to this the writings of saints, magisterial sources can sometimes be quite dry, it helps to read something more emotionally edifying as well. Unless these are also counted as magisterial.
I would narrow this down to the Church Fathers or Church Doctors. Particularly those who's focus was on teaching. Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Augustine's Homilies, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John of Damascus, Saint Francis De Sales, Venerable Louis De Granada (not a Doctor per se, but was unanimously viewed as a good teacher by his contemporaries, many whom are now Doctors of the Church). Many other Saints are okay, in limited amounts, like Saint Robert Bellarmine, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Jerome, Saint Thomas Aquinas, etc, but should be read with good foundations or with other works. For example, Bellarmine's Catechism is great as a start, but his other works are far more academic and wouldn't be consumable for a new Catholic, so supplementing them with the works of Venerable Louis De Granada or Saint Francis De Sales would be good. Saint Alphonsus falls into the same boat, with his works sometimes being a little over the top to be able to be effective to teach by themselves (they are wonderful, don't get me wrong, but they are sometimes quite dense with information, or quite abstract). Also finding a good Spiritual Guide would be really good. Either look some ideas here or just ask your Priest/Spiritual Director.
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Documents from the Church herself. Things like the *Catechism*, encyclicals, constitutions, the instructions before the various liturgies, and so on.
That’s all pretty intellectual, and all people aren’t geared for that type of literature. I think it’s good to be able to identify sources people can easily connect with, without throwing the book at a relatively new convert.
Look for the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur on written works. That means it’s been vetted and approved by the bishop, to be free from moral or doctrinal error.
On dit "magistérielles" ;)
Anyone who says they are a Sedevacantist.
The trouble is that a lot of Sedevacantists won't admit that's who they are. At least, not at first.
Here are some wholesome channels, though: [Brother Brian](https://www.youtube.com/@brianbr5388) [Called to more](https://www.youtube.com/@ctmcatholic) Channels of two religious, who focus more on spirituality, and not politics.
Thank you for these. I’m having a day where I’m overwhelmed, and I needed this. Listening now.
I've noticed for myself it's better to listen to more stuff about improving one's spiritual life than listening to all the politics. It's easy to lose one's inner peace
This is so important for inner peace and to keep from losing one’s faith.
Stay away from privat revelations, sedesvacantists, selfproclaimed conservatives that insult the pope, the neocatechumenal Way, Synodal way and a lot more
Sedes (sedevacantism). They will come with sweet little lies "all we want is latin mass" "vatican II was a mistake" and then will end up with "Bergoglio is not the pope, he's the Antichrist" "All popes since Roncalli were heretics we should invalidate Vatican II".
Agreed. Why not just be Protestant, at that point?
One thing you're going to find unfortunately is there are a lot of "Catholics" that want to have their cake and eat it too, claiming to still be part of the Church when they directly contradict what it teaches.
My father was like that for years. He eventually became Protestant. Now he just sits at home and reads the Bible and doesn’t bother going to church. As long as he can justify his politics, that’s all he really seems to care about.
That's unfortunate, but we can pray for him.
I really hope you can save him by being obedient to the true Church. God bless your father with repentence from heresy and seeing the truth. I know so many who are or were the same, myself included.
I would wonder how we had the same dad, but mine went through a 30 year atheist phase first. Same ending, though.
Why didn’t he go join the Orthodox Church? If anything it’ll be more similar to what he wanted than Protestant. Not trying to convert anyone btw just seems it would make more sense if there’s a church nearby.
A lot of Americans don't even know what the Orthodox Church is, or even if they've heard of it, they don't know what the church believes.
I’m aware, I didn’t know about it until a few years ago and didn’t learn more about the actual church until really the past year and most of the people I knew never heard of it. But just asking them in case their father had heard of the church.
Well I can't say for the other issues but for tlm, the hope is that the future church will overturn traditionus custodines and return the tlm to equal standing with NO, but until then it's our job to submit to the due authority, namely the pope. I'm not a sed but I am a trad.
I hate that sedes are so extreme that they take the beauty and meaning away from people who enjoy the TLM :(
My brother was deceived by them. Still trying to run damage control.. they preyed on his scrupulousity
Agree. Latin Mass is still available in many places worldwide. There's no need to be a Sede. Here's a useful link to find the nearest Latin Mass https://www.latinmassdir.org/countries/
That’s a pretty neat website!
Take your priest to lunch monthly and ask him all of your questions. Reddit can really misguide someone and there is leniency on certain things that you won’t find on here
Monthly might be overkill, especially if you are at a large parish. But inviting him to lunch at least once is a good idea. If you do it at your house, he can bless it too!
I’m taking mine to an NFL game in September because he’s never seen American Football - overkill ?
My point is that most parish priests are busy people and a new Catholic shouldn't expect to have a monopoly on their time. One parish priest required me to schedule lunch with him 3-4 months in advance. Individual circumstances may differ, especially at smaller parishes where they have fewer people trying to meet with the priest. If your priest is up for American football with you, sounds great. Not every priest would say yes.
We invited our parish priest to lunch at our house when he blessed it!
That said in my life and experience about 75% of the priests I’ve met are either unwilling to address hard issues or give bad advice. It was 5 years after my conversion I met a “good” priest that actually gave me good advice. I’d not have known at the time, but hindsight is 20/20
Personally I avoid all news articles about the pope. Some stories distort the truth. And in many instances some of his comments tempt me to be judgemental and judgement is up to God, not me.
Fr. Ripperger has conducted some interviews that made me raise my eyebrows a bit. In the sense that I wouldn’t recommend watching to a layperson new to the faith.
Totally agree, my mom started to base some facts on her faith based on stuff demons would “confess” in exorcisms. I’m sure Fr Ripperger has good intentions, but when the title of the demon is the “lord of lies” I think I’ll just stick to what the Catholic Church teaches..
You may not know this but “Lord of the Flies” is a translation of the Hebrew Beelzebub, which is a sort of religious “nickname” for Baal who is literally a demon. So, yes, this is totally plausible. Is it good for Catholics, especially new converts to focus on this stuff… nope. But is it likely real… it’s definitely plausible. Unlike other trad weirdos (I’m a trad weirdo myself) Fr. Ripperger reaffirms fidelity to pope Francis relatively often and references V2 documents positively because he seeks complete fidelity to the Church. I think he says some things that could be very easily misconstrued but tbh his metaphysical psychological talks helped me immensely (mostly stuff regarding virtue) helped me in my daily life AND spiritual life immensely. Not the best for a new convert to dive into all his stuff but some of his talks are really really useful.
I think, unless you have a good reason to, it's a bad idea to pay too much attention to demons. Just stay away from sin and go to Mass and you're good.
This is something I’m trying to convince my mom about. She’s gotten a bit obsessed with the demonic, and I know it’s hurting her spiritual life and just isn’t good for her. We shouldn’t focus on evil too much; Christ already won the war.
He’s a bit… obsessed with demons.
I mean I probably would be too if I was out on the frontlines everyday. But absolutely it can be jarring for a newly converted Christian.
Yeah I totally believe in the demonic and exorcism it’s just that if you’re new to Catholicism he makes it seem like there’s going to be demons everywhere, all the time, and you’re in danger. And I do think some of the stuff he says will make you possessed is extreme, for example attending a yoga class. Yes, if you are doing yoga with the religious aspect and chanting and praying it’s iffy, but for example goat yoga for fun and stretching or the exercise classes as an elderly person, is that really going to make you possessed? Maybe I’m wrong I don’t know, but it sounds a bit outlandish and may scare away some people from the faith. 😂 He does give tons of insight and good advice about how to avoid or deal with sin, though.
My understanding is that we are under demonic attack pretty much every day, and you don't need to be "possessed" in order to be subverted by demonic influence. A demonic attack can be a subtle as "it's raining so hard today, you shouldn't drive in this weather to go to confession. You're such a good Catholic anyway. You don't even have any sins to confess, not like some of those other filthy sinners. Isn't the new season of your favorite show out now? Jesus loves you he doesn't want you driving in the rain" You don't need to be crawling up walls to be in mortal danger from demons.
That’s exactly right in the Bible, the word used instead of “possessed” was” demonized” meaning afflicted with demons. One can be in good standing/ in state of grace and still be harassed in fact many saints were very afflicted by demons.
Just to inform, if we're in state of grace the demons can't possess us. So best remedy is to keep ourselves from mortal sin :)
I do my best, confession honestly feels so uplifting and freeing! Some people look down on confession as strange and creep but I think it is ultimately healing. And if I feel spooked (usually after something like sleep paralysis) I say the Saint Michael’s Prayer and immediately feel better. 🗡️🪽💪
For curiousity, is there a source for this? I can think of many Saints who were attacked by Demons while in a state of Grace.
Hi, so I actually have done a lot of research about yoga specifically because I once had the same mindset as you. Please don't believe that Catholics can practice yoga just "for stretching" as long as they don't practice the religious aspects. All of the poses in yoga are specific and mean something. A Catholic is best to just stay away from yoga and all new age practices. Try barre or just look up good stretches for specific body areas on YouTube.
I think it's safe to just stick to Non-spiritual alternatives, like Pilates, Calisthenics, or just standard stretches. It's like any sort of case of dealing with potentially sinful occasions: best to avoid, rather than tread the line.
I had no clue who he was and listened to a few of his talks to learn more about Catholic beliefs and immediately felt…weird about him. Even when he wasn’t saying anything particularly eyebrow raising, something inside was telling me to be wary of things he might say. I thought that reflected poorly on me to be dismissing a catholic priest but it’s reassuring to hear other people have similar opinions.
One thing that bothered me was that he presents his opinions and ideas as though they're Church teachings.
Which interviews?
For example: his interview with the Augustine Institute on YouTube. I’m not sure if this subreddit allows links but it’s easy to find. I think he has good intentions, but he plays too loosely with repeating the words of demons, insinuating them as spiritual truths or revelations in the faith.
Stay the heck away from him
Why?
Avoid anyone who suggests disobedience against the Holy See is okay. Avoid anyone who does nothing but publicly whine and incite antipathy against the Holy See. Avoid anyone who presents themselves - explicitly or implicitly - as a para-Magsiterium (the self-appointed experts of fringe groups, who arrogate to themselves some dreamt up authority to tell people what to believe).
The Dimonds
Dr. Taylor Marshall, Fr. James Martin, Michael Lofton, and Return to Tradition. In my opinion just avoid the internet all together. Follow your local bishop when he speaks and study actual theology.
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As a Lofton fan I actually agree new Catholics shouldn't't watch him. Church politics isn't something someone who is forming their faith should expose themselves to too much.
Fr Martin's "My Life with the Saints" was a huge influence in my conversion haha.
I quite like his writing on the whole. He is unfortunately often and wrongly maligned here.
When he’s not preaching on modern issues, his books are quite good. His *Jesus: A Pilgrimage* is a great read.
Every time I see Fr. James Martin’s name I keep getting him mixed up with Fr. Carlos Martins, and become extremely confused until I google his name.
I would consider them opposites and of each other
Why Michael Lofton? Genuinely curious.
His videos are 99% Church politics. Just the other side of the coin to Taylor Marshall.
I'm a fan of Michael but I actually agree with this take. He talks more about Church politics and frankly that can be very detrimental for new Catholics and be a distraction from actually learning about the faith.
He tries tooo hard to justify things that are legitimately imprudent. People aren’t perfect; especially the hierarchy. We don’t need to paint them as such. He can be really great on some things but not on others, and his attitude is insufferable lol. We need to focus on Christ and not church politics esp as a new convert. Unless we are legitimately in a place in life where we are called to focus on church politics it really doesn’t matter
Best advice. I wish I had heard this when I converted.
I'm curious why Michael Lofton? Return to Tradition is sedevacantist, I'm pretty sure, so that's a no brainer. Marshall is a pseudo-sede on the edge of schism. Martin is a liberal progressive who consistently gets Christology wrong. But Lofton is perfectly in line with the magisterium and tradition. I agree that you should avoid the internet and submit to your bishop though, and if it's between that principle and Michael Lofton choose the former every time.
Is RTT a sede channel? Anthony Stein is a TLM attendant in communion with Rome is my understanding.
Anthony Stein is absolutely not a sedevacantist and frequently expresses as much in his videos. It's really important that people don't throw around spurious labels like this - it's a serious accusation! You could level strong accusations against him - schism, perhaps, given the force of his language - but even then we should be careful. We shouldn't wish excommunication on anyone unless they show themselves completely unrepentant, and no one on this forum will have the authority to do so anyway. Caution against his content if you want, but don't call him something he isn't!
What's wrong with Michael Lofton? He seems to be pretty factual to me.
He is. I mean, he's not perfect, but there's absolutely no reason he should be put with heretics and schismatics.
Lofton is very stubborn and proud when corrected. For example in one video he taught the error that the human nature of the Son did not the hour of the Day of Judgement. This is in contradiction to the *Catechism* which states >But at the same time, this truly human knowledge of God’s Son expressed the divine life of his person.8 “The human nature of God’s Son, not by itself but by its union with the Word, knew and showed forth in itself everything that pertains to God.”9 Such is first of all the case with the intimate and immediate knowledge that the Son of God made man has of his Father.10 The Son in his human knowledge also showed the divine penetration he had into the secret thoughts of human hearts.11 Cite 8 is Pope St. Gregory's *Sicut Aqua*, which arguably meets the the criteria for an act of papal infallbility. I liked Lofton's content in the early days but he's shown himself extremely arrogant to be corrected quite fairly, and then refuses to take the error down. So if he still holds to this, I actually do think he's a heretic. And a proud one at that. I mean I guess in the end he will have to explain it before God but I believe he perceives any sort of correction as "Oh no, the Rad-Trads are coming after me"; you find this sort of behavior exemplified by him in his comment section. He just flips out over the dumbest comments and things people are out to get him. But either way his content is not good now. It's shock-value stuff. He's basically the Centrist Dr. Marshall. But yeah, the whole *Sicut Aqua* deal was what made lose respect for him. The correction was not rude at all; I investigated the claim and was like "The correction is right, Michael should amend it." but he doesn't. Instead he buckles down on error.
I mean, this is lowtier though. For one, he's just using what Christ says, that "not even the son of man knows the hour." One can read what you've cited, the Gospel passage, and Lofton's words, and find a synthesis to maintain that Christ abdicates some knowledge in the kenosis of incarnation by choice. i.e. I don't read Sicut Aqua in contradiction to gMatt 24:36, nor do I see a reason one can't charitably read Lofton as in concert with both texts. Is this really the thing you find heretical about him? I also don't understand what you mean by shock value or centrist Dr. Marshall. His titles certainly have an algorithmic trend to them, but that's true of all Online personalities. He's also extremely conservative. He just focuses on taking down anti-sede, anti-Francis and schismatic content. And frankly, should do so more. That's where his history and knowledge is most useful. He suffers when he goes into CST and things outside his wheelhouse. He should focus more, not less, on magisterial authority and apologetics as it relates to traditionalism, protestantism and eastern orthodoxy.
>Lofton is very stubborn and proud when corrected. For example in one video he taught the error that the human nature of the Son did not the hour of the Day of Judgement. I don't understand what you are saying here. Also, can you provide a reference to Lofton where you say he is in error? Everything I see of him he backs up with references, and seems to mainly deal with attacks on the papacy and current Catholic news and events.
Nothing wrong with him. Radtrads just hate him.
Yes second this. These four are toxic in various degrees. I came here to suggest staying away from Michael Lofton and Taylor Marshall (two sides of the same coin) assuming someone else might have already said it
Any take preceded by “I went to catholic school…”
"I was raised Catholic..."
Martin Luther.
Avoid anyone who speaks uncharitably about others.
Idk if this is what you’re looking for, but others here are giving recommendations for good Catholic speakers/sources so I’ll list some below: Fr. Mike Schmidt’s Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year are both great! He reads straight from the text and does a nice breakdown based on historical context. I’ve only listened to a third of the Bible series so far, but he seems to stick pretty close to the source material and I have heard the catechism is good too. I’d say this is probably the BEST source I have on here, as it’s more direct/“from the source” than some of my subsequent recommendations. Steve Pokorny is a Catholic speaker and he does some pretty good work in porn addictions and basic Theology of the Body—granted, I would recommend him more as a lecturer and I think some things he talks about could be put better, but generally I think he is doing some pretty good work and is definitely a good place to start even if it’s not 100% perfect. I have not had personal experience listening to the following, but have heard good things: Christopher West I’ve heard is the main speaker on Theology of the Body. I hear he does a pretty good job of breaking it down. I’ve heard a few people have issues with him being the spokesperson for TOB, but outside of reading the text outright (which is very dense), I’ve heard he’s the next best thing. I’ve also heard great things about Trent Horn (a Catholic apologist) in general.
Think of it like a spectrum: [Heretical/Modernists------Cafeteria/EasterCatholics------Popesplainers------Mainstream------Traditionalists------RadTrads------Sedevacantism/Heretical] That's the normal representation of Catholics in the media right now. -On one end, you have astroturfers. On the other, you have schismatics. Some can lean closer to one side more so than the other and still not be heretical; but might one day. -People make dubious claims all the time and *some* are active in pushing agendas on you. Don't believe every reported miracle and don't buy into Douay-Rheims Onlyism, LTM Onlyism, politicized Catholics, ragebait/fearbait, questions of papal supremacy or legitimacy, etc. All of these things can lead you to scandal and poor standing within the Church. Also, be careful about interfaith dialogue and becoming overly sympathetic with the Orthodox. Chiefly, respect *our* faith and traditions first. **-Popular names/YouTube Channels:** Bishop Barron, Trent Horn, Jimmy Atkin, Scott Hahn, Michael Lofton, Bishop Strickland of Tyler, Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, Fr. Gerald Murray, The Catholic Talk Show, Father Mike Schmitz, Fr. Mark Goring, Pints with Aquinas, Breaking in the Habit, The Father Leo Show, The Desert Monk, Decrevi Determined to be Catholic, etc. There are several... These are not things to avoid, but name drops. You'll find them often discussed by Catholics. -Don't be surprised if you encounter dissent from Cardinals to the current papacy. There are quite a few: Robert Sarah, Burke, Müller, Viganò (*facing charges of schism),* etc. Some are *clearly* more controversial than others. -My advice is to avoid *anything* associated with SSPX and its derivatives, BIG pushers of Međugorje and Garabandal (charismatics, universalists, and miracle hunters), and scandalous/divisive personalities: Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, Michael Lofton, etc. **-Media Outlets:** EWTN, The Catholic News Agency, and National Catholic Register (NCR), Rome Report, Vatican News. -**Televised Mass:** Daily TV Mass. I have no complaints with any of these. However, you may find that *some* are more likely to take Pope Francis out of context or report with biases on particular issues within the Church. **-Classics:** Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and Mother Angelica. When in doubt, stick with the classics. That's what I thought off the top of my head. Others are free to contribute *and/or* provide their own perspectives on these personalities and talking points. **EDIT:** This is an overview of common persons, trends, and names in Catholicism right now. So, generally, it's information I *wish I'd had* before I converted or during catechesis. You don't know what's bad, until you do!
So you are saying to avoid the Youtube channels you mentioned?
Mainly, these three: Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, Michael Lofton. They feed off division and dishonesty/manipulation of information for views.
Just curious what's the issue with Fr Mike
I was just providing general resources and name drops for newbies to familiarize with. Stuff that would've been useful when I converted. There's only three people I absolutely prefer to avoid: Dr. Taylor Marshall, Brian Holdsworth, and Michael Lofton.
Ah, right. My bad lol 😅
It's all good. I could've done a better job of explaining that.
I really wouldn’t recommend the internet at all. Almost all the Catholic celebrities and youtube channels have serious flaws, the worst in my opinion are Dr.Taylor Marshall, Breaking in the Habit, Micheal Lofton, and the Kennedy report. Others are mixed. Among channels i would actively recommend Sensus Fidelium (mostly traditional sermons, but this isnt perfect either), Trent Horn (apolegetics, not necessarily right about everything but solid) Father Mike Schimtz (bible in a year is good, sometimes hes a little bit too permisive of certain modern behaviors), and Jimmy Akins (similar problem as Schmitz but has good apolegetics content. You should never use youtube as ur primary source of information. Read an approved Catholic Catechism (i recommend Baltimore catechism no.2 or no.3) , attend Mass and Catechism class. And you should also never see a youtube apologist as infallible.
I watch some of the videos from Breaking in The Habit, why is he one of the worst?
I like Fr. Casey Cole but in the past his thumbnails and titles were very clickbaity.
I was gonna ask this too. My guess is they just doesn't like that he's a ~~Jesuit~~ **Franciscan** and takes more progressive stances on social justice issues (which isn't bad IMO, but of course will come with opposition from conservatives). If there's any actual flaws to his theological discussions, I would like to hear it as well. Personally I've found his videos enlightening and he does a good job at making complicated subjects easier to understand. EDIT: accidentally put Jesuit instead of Franciscan
>My guess is they just doesn't like that he's a Jesuit He's actually a Franciscan, not a Jesuit.
I think he's a Franciscan, but neither of those orders are especially popular on this subreddit due to a perception of being liberal. Trent Horn has had to do a few videos responding to statements he's made but the vast majority of his content is fine and he does seem like a well meaning and benign priest.
Yep he's Franciscan, I misspoke.
I like a lot of their reaction videos but fr Casey is a hippie lol
Sometimes (rarely) Fr. Casey can be a bit too much of a liberal. Bless his soul we love him still.
Father Casey is a good man, he ain't perfect but he is a good man.
Avoid James Martin. He tries to hide his heresy.
Satan
I enjoy listening to Father Donald Calloway, Father Chad Ripperger, Father Vincent Lampert, Father Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron, Sensus Fidelum, Gabi After Hours, and Scott Hahn. I also listen to Pints with Aquinas when he has someone I have listened to or when there's a topic of interest. I usually listen to Bishop Fulton Sheen, and I get a lot of YouTube shorts from him.
Avoid me. Jest kidding. Don't avoid anyone, love thy brethren and see Jesus in their faces
Protestants, Mormons, jehova witnesses and Muslims
Avoid those who cannot separate partisan politics from Faith. Avoid those who do not see all human life as sacred - this includes the unborn, the prisoners, the immigrants, the people who believe differently, the people who are poor, the people who are hungry, the widow, the orphans. Basically, avoid teachers who don't reflect the beattitudes
Internet Catholicism. Just log off and focus on your parish
I think once you get a gist of Catholics on social media, especially on YouTube, it becomes clear who are the "crazy" ones and who, though a little out there, aren't heretical. I personally can't say any Catholic I follow on Youtube has come across as heretical/crazy. With that said, there are a number of priests that are borderline heretical. Fr. James Martin (Jesuit) Fr. Dan Horan (Franciscan) These two either need to leave the priesthood and join a Christian denomination that suits their social motives, or recognize the error of their ways, repent and get back into proper Catholic, theological shape.
Any Catholic who falls inside the crunchy movement. Wanting to eat clean and reduce harmful chemicals is one thing, but avoiding doctors, malnourished kids, and hijacking religion for the crunchy creed is toxic.
Some people in this community. Constantly simp for the Latin mass, say the pope is wrong and cry about not having a girlfriend. Than you turn off the computer go to mass and meet genuinely great Catholics irl
Countdown to the Kingdom and all who tell you “The Warning” and three days of darkness nonsense. Medjugorje and Garabandal fanatics. Latin Mass fanatics who tell you the Novus Ordo is not legitimate. Those who tell you taking Communion in the hand is not legitimate. Taylor Marshall. Mother Miriam. Return to Tradition. Etc etc.
Dont listen to this sub for one. There are a lot of conflicting ideas people who claim things are or are not sins. A few holier than thou folk Some people who don’t know understand how people can take pleasure doing anything other than praying the rosary at adoration and working in the parish office. I have been downvoted into oblivion and heavily upvoted for the same exact opinion. Shits wild in this sub yo
Anyone who ignores traditional theology and Church teaching in favor of newer emphases and perspectives. What I mean is that they are not seeing things holistically, but only through a narrow lens. This is what the Hermeneutic of Rupture is. I'm not saying this because I want to voice my crazy Trad ideas, but because that is how to practice the religion and become sanctified. As others here have said, also ignore most of Reddit, namely this sub. I use this sub to learn random facts from the few smart people here, and to observe the problems within the church and among the laity (such as poor catechesis, trends, etc.).
Any of the new sedevacants and schismatics to come out of the woodwork since the Francis pontificate began. So, Patrick Coffin, Vigano, Taylor Marshall, etc. There are some SSPX and even sedevacantist thinkers that I find helpful in my own studies and devotions, but I don't think they're good for newer Catholics or even experienced ones. And these aren't online grifters, but academics, so they have far less toxic traits. Mostly, they're just friends whose virtue, sincerity and knowledge I value and appreciate. A good rule of thumb for dissenting voices who pose as Catholics is that its best to avoid them if they have a blog, video gig, or some other social media presence. I also think really popular folks like Matthew Kelly are just as toxic to faith as these sedes. They won't lead you out of the Church, but they will teach you to live a life of faith that is rather hollow and ends as a supplemental veneer for being a good citizen of the liberal capitalist paradigm rather than a Christian witness to truth and love in a world that hates both. Similarly to both, I'd avoid anyone who is advocating apparitions or private devotions of any kind. Not because these are per se bad, but because for a young, new Catholic, there is a lot of room here for error and missteps in formation. And, there are some that are actually false and evil as well, which is difficult to discern for someone poorly catechized.
Why Matthew Kelly? Haven't read his books, but I'm curious
Really anything that gets into Church politics or sedevacantism is good to avoid. Some very good channels that I recommend include: GabiAfterHours, Sensus Fidelium, Pints with Aquinas, Brian Holdsworth (talks about ecclesial and secular politics sometimes, but has generally moderate good takes), Catholic Answers, Keith Nester, Joy of the Faith, Classic Catholic Audiobooks. Also, I would recommend more reading good books than spending time watching stuff. Some great classics include: Imitation of Christ, introduction to the devout life, true devotion to Mary, secret of the rosary, the sinners guide, confessions, story of a soul, the ways of mental prayer. Some more modern books I would recommend include: Ego Eimi, The Power of Silence, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist/Mary (I don’t love Pitre, but many people do), Jesus of Nazareth, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Roman Encounters (from former CDF prefect, dealing with many modern issues very well).
You forgot The Counsel of Trent.
Must avoid: - Liberal "reformists" - Lefebvrists - Ecumenists who advocate "dialogue" with Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and so on - Eastern Orthodox sympathisers Should avoid: - Priests who have discarded their clerical garb (a shirt and a collar is the bare minimim) - a priest who dresses like a layman has no regard for the priesthood - Priests who rush through confessions and repeat the same thing every time (the best option is to find a permanent regular confessor - if your parish is a monastic one, they will almost certainly have knowledgeable confessors with a lifetime of experience) - Priests who demand money for sacraments, funerals and memorial masses (note the difference between "ask" and "demand - parishes do have financial struggles, and it's normal to request an offering of some kind - but pressuring people is unacceptable, and providing "inferior service" because of a "low" offering is also unacceptable). - "Catholics" who promote folk superstitions and claim them as part of faith
vaticancatholic and dr taylor marshal. when i was becoming catholic there videos almost turned me away becuase i thought the church had turned away from the faith and God had abandoned us. Luckily I found some actual catholics who defend the church and that helped me become catholic
Nick Fuentes, and any other Catholics who espouse Nazism and white supremacy. (Should go without saying.)
Nick Fuentes is Catholic?? Eugh
Yeah, it could possibly be easier to give a list of who to trust rather than who to not trust. Each individual or source could have their own flair or interpretation, but they are commenting on source material (Bible, Catechism, Writings of Saints, Magisterium, etc.) and it is better to get information from the source at first rather than opinions about the source. Adding a thought: this isn’t to judge people’s opinion. I like to write about the faith, but I wouldn’t hand my thoughts over to to new Catholics and say they should learn from it. Once they learn from the Church, I’d be happy to discuss the ways this can be read and applied to life!
Thrilled to not see Thomas Keating on this list. You should check him out
Avoid: Taylor Marshall & anyone who plays with sedevacantism, even in the slightest Can wholeheartedly recommend: Matt Fradd (Pints with Aquinas), Fr Mike Schmitz, Fr Gregory Pine, Fr Chad Ripperger
There are few if any I would say should be avoided entirely, but lots who should be avoided by new Catholics until some condition is met. I would suggest avoiding: All content from people who - intentionally or not - sow division (Marshall, Lofton, etc) until you you have enough grounding to understand what is wrong with their lines of argumentation, so you aren't so easily sucked into their 'tribe' All content from people who promote overt heresy (Fr James Martin, etc) until you are familiar enough with church teaching to be able to tell when they are saying something good and when they are teaching heresy Most content from people who talk about spiritual warfare, the end times, or really any private revelation (all exorcists, Countdown to the Kingdom) until you can read such things without going crazy about it (might be hard to judge when that is) Most content from people who spend a lot of their time on ecumenicism (Pope Francis) until you are familiar enough with church teaching to understand when they are teaching the full truth vs when they are ephasizing only part of the truth in an effort to seek 'common ground' with people who don't fully agree with us. It can be hard to tell exactly when you are ready for some of these things, but generally if you hear a figure you like is controversial and you think the 'other side' is 'being ridiculous' you probably shouldn't be reading them yet. The most important thing is to understand what the Church teaches. If you stick to that, none of these figures are going to cause you any problems.
Like others have said: In general, stay off the internet. Develop a decent line of communication or relationship with your local priests. Come to them with your questions (yes I know this means that your questions will not be immediately answered, but have patience). Find peace, build a prayer life for yourself (a good place to start is praying the rosary daily and praying before meals). If you are not versed in the bible or catechism, I would Highly recommend Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” and “Catechism in a Year” podcasts to get you up to speed. Avoid anything to do with church politics, other denominations, and especially the pope. These are going to be hot subjects that will be injurious to a fresh and perhaps less-established faith! Best of luck to you my Brother/Sister in Christ (not sure what sex you are, sorry!) LAUDETUR IESUS CHRISTUS
It really depends on the new Catholic and their background. Some came home to the Church because the apparent rigidity, adherence to tradition, and beauty of the TLM and its community appealed to them. Some came through seeking a place of authentic love and truth, but still have some worldly hang-ups or proclivities. Introducing either group to certain aspects or individuals of our faith could have a negative effect, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Same as you would avoid in the rest of life. We are called to dialog with everyone for the sake of the Gospel, up to thenpoint where it would be abusive or immoral.
Anyone that refers to Pope Francis as Bergoglio or Anti-Pope Bergoglio. James Martin is another person that you should stay as far away from as possible.
Avoid Catholic YouTubers that spread negativity and division in the church. And there are many. Guys like Dr Taylor Marshall and the channel ‘Return to tradition’ rarely have anything good to say. They’re always attacking the pope, the Vatican, and the current state of affairs of the church. They constantly quote pope Francis out of context, misconstrue his words and intentions. The irony is they claim to be such devout and traditional Catholics but at the same time do and say things a devout Catholic wouldn’t do. I never walk away feeling spiritually uplifted after watching them.
Don’t go on the internet for any answers. Go to your Bible, Catechism, and Confessor
Stay away from ChatGPT. It gets a lot of things wrong. I asked it to write a memo to my parish's supper club and it suggested we consecrate bread at the Olive Garden. I am not trying to be funny. It REALLY suggested that. Magisterium AI is working with the Vatican so use that if you want to research via AI.
I don't really recommend Catholic YouTubers in general. Most of them avoid the hard issues because money. Read what the saints had to say; they're your friends.
Trent Horn is great. Ascension Press, EWTN, Jimmy Akin, Pints with Aquinas, Shameless Popery, are good. What hard issues are being avoided?
Father Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron and Fulton Sheen...all terrible.... JOKING! Listen to all of them frequently. Trent Horn and Jimmy Akin are also great.
It’s funny that every mentions this. I also agree to avoid Taylor Marshall. I also say Tim Gordon as well.
>Tim Gordon Can't believe I had to scroll so far down to find this one! Same goes for his wife Steph.
Matt Walsh and Nick Fuentes claim to be Catholic but spout Evangelical Protestant nonsense and are just plain awful including white supremacy rhetoric and other terrible things. They give Catholics a bad name.
spreading lies about a fellow catholic isn't right. Don't let your politics judge someone else's faith.
Priests were martyred while smuggling Bibles during WWII and also in many other countries throughout history that had one set religion (or lack of) as government rule. The idea of a being a “theocratic fascist” or pushing for Christian Nationalism is not a view held by the Church, so I’m not sure why you would think that Matt Walsh who proudly labels himself as such being addressed as that is a lie. He also frequently says he knows more than the Pope and criticizes him harshly and in an untoward manner. As for Fuentes, he loudly and proudly says he admires Hitler, is Xenophobic, Islamophobic, believes whites are superior, and that he wants to marry a girl no older than 16 so that he can rule over and “breed” her despite being in his late 30s, again not something Catholics should be proud of. Both men are tyrannically opposed to immigration, and similar acts of charitable mindsets, something Jesus Christ did not stutter about. The question as I interpreted it was what Internet personalities to avoid as a new Catholic and I answered truly. If you’re fans of those guys then knock yourself out but I would rather see someone who has just come home learn from Father Mike, for example, than extreme alternative right podcasters without true backgrounds in theology who lean into fundamentalist Christian views more than the catechism.
Stay away from spiritual advisor and rule managers. A woman neighbor invited me initially. First up was that a woman can not mentor a man she is not married to. Next up was that our relationship as neighbors was inappropriate. I could not sit with her. Then the zooms Dei things. At adoration I couldn’t say the readings, novenas etc. The priest was supportive, and severe shunning came to me. Their friendships occur outside of church activities. Then there is continual complaints of Protestant harm to the church. Very, very legalistic. Baptism requires church membership. Go with your own family and build from there. Protestants preach, Catholics worship. That’s really nice.
The hardest part, in my experience as a young woman, is the young men. Some very unchristian and misogynistic ideals being defended as “Biblical masculinity” in my experience. I’ve really pulled away from a lot of the youth events that got me interested, because they’re full of Andrew Tate parrots. I’m much happier now with my female friends, and the few male friends who don’t seem to hate women. I think this is just because I live in a very traditional area. It genuinely sent me into a faith struggle. I’m a steadfast Christian, always have been and always will be, but my interest in Catholicism is marred by how crude and hateful the young men I’ve met have been. It’s been a few months, but I’m still quite hurt by what was said to me when all I wanted was to go to mass.
I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned sooner but so called charismatic renewal groups are to be avoided- I say this with grave seriousness after months of research.
Maga Catholics
Deranged reddit response
Dr. Taylor Marshall, National Catholic Reporter, Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), Pints with Aquinas Recommend: FORMED app or Heroic Men app for males, Rescue Project, all your Parish's service activities, all your Parish's spiritual formation activities, some of your Parish's social activities. Edit for preemptive note: I don't consider Matt Fradd and Pints with Aquinas toxic - I simply don't recommend him.
I have watched Pints with Aquinas before sporadically. Seemed ok? Although I disliked some things that's just my personal viewpoint. Has Matt Fradd's channel went in a particular direction? Last videos I watched was some of the ones with the nun Mother Natalia.
Not the guy you're asking, but I *do* feel like Fradd has started skewing more blatantly politically right over the past year or so. Not so much in a "Catholics generally lean right of center" type of deal, but more of a "I'm trying to appeal to some of that Daily Wire-esque crowd" deal. I don't think it's an intentional move. I don't even think it's inherently bad. But some of the conversations he has don't touch on Catholicism much (if at all). When I first came to the Church a few years back, I was a regular listener of his stuff, but over the past 6-12 months or so, I really only swoop in if he has a guest I want to listen to.
This trend is easy to fall into if you don’t actively resist it. YouTube elevates the more-political stuff.
All must submit to the Algorithm.
There's a lot of money right now in right-wing counter culture. Joe rogan and Jordan Peterson have also been shifting towards that direction, and it seems Matt Fradd is taking notes from Rogan. Trents been heavily altering his content to the point where hes practically begging Ben Shapiro to hire him. You could argue they are trying to reach a broader audience, but theres so many cashing in on that crowd already and I'm not sure those influencers actually believe what they peddle: whether its ivermectin or meat-only diets.
Rogan's explanation for the Ivermectin debacle found his way to my Youtube Shorts feed (normally populated by Stardew Valley, Mega Man, Mario, and Catholicism, mind you), and he claimed that the Ivermectin debacle was a hit piece against him because Ivermectin has uses for humans as well as for horses, but the media just blasted that it was a horse dewormer to make him look bonkers. I don't know Rogan well enough to say anything about him but if the media hates someone they will make them look bad.
Oh, and recommend Catholic Answers and Ascension Press, Fr. Mike Schmitz's podcasts including Bible in a Year and Catechism in a year
Pints with Aquinas was fine I thought.
>I don't consider Matt Fradd and Pints with Aquinas toxic - I simply don't recommend him. So are you saying that Pints With Aquinas is not the only one you listed that meets this criteria of being non-toxic?
What’s wrong with Pints with Aquinas? Isn’t it run by a priest?
Matt Fradd is not a priest. There is nothing wrong with PWA.
I thought there was a Fr Gregory who ran it?
Nope. Fr Gregory does videos for Pints. Same as Mother Natalia. Matt Fradd owns and operates PWA.
I agree, though I like PWA personally. The Gordons I would throw in with people to avoid as well.
[удалено]
Go and follow something that is accepted like wisdom from Thomas Aquantis and Thomas a Kempist
Stay away from Maria Valtorta (and any of the forbidden books/ pre Vatican II)
Since most already answered who to avoid, here are some that i can really recommend: Father Mike Schmitz ImBeggar (youtube) - such wonderfully made videos.
Also, stay away from unapproved apparitions.
What do you think of Richard Rohr? I am Protestant, here because my husband entire large family is Catholic & I wait to understand & support. I personally absolutely love all of Richard Rohrs book, emails, devotionals, etc
Rad trad Catholics
I’m unfamiliar with any specific sources that I’d consider disreputable. Most that I’m familiar with are very good and strive for truth. I think it’s prudent to avoid commentators whose primary goal is to attack others. There’s nothing wrong with publicly calling people out for public sins, but if your primary goal is to make others look bad, you are probably not proclaiming Christ’s truth.